Two were in the care of the Department of Children and Families when they died, and the other, only 4 weeks old, died after Grafton police reported the baby to DCF as a possible victim of abuse or neglect. No one at DCF checked on the infant until after her death.

Only 5-year-old Jeremiah’s mother and her boyfriend have been charged in connection with his disappearance. No cause has been released in either infant’s death.

Those names will no doubt haunt now former DCF Commissioner Olga Roche. Their names should follow Gov. Deval Patrick as he seeks to move on to the next stage of his largely failed career in politics. The names of those dead children should be carved into the lecterns in both houses of the Massachusetts Legislature so that legislators will be reminded come budget time of the neediest among us.

But how will Massachusetts proceed now that three babies are dead and the head of DCF has resigned? What changes will Patrick make to ensure no more children die or are injured or lost while in the care of DCF?

From all appearances, not much will change at all.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Patrick announced Roche had resigned, not that he had fired her. Even though DCF admitted it had lost track of little Jeremiah Oliver.

Roche was not fired on Dec. 2, 2013, when Jeremiah was reported missing by an employee at his sister’s school and DCF admitted it had been months since a caseworker checked in with his family.

Roche was not fired after Jeremiah’s body was discovered on April 18, hidden in a bag off Route 190 in Sterling.

Patrick continued to defend Roche in a Monday press conference when he answered calls demanding she be fired with, “It will take the view that it actually does something, other than throwing another scalp to the public.” He also said her firing would simply be a “dramatic gesture.”

Perhaps.

Patrick’s Monday press conference followed calls earlier in the day from Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray and Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley asking for the resignation of Roche. Calls that came only after three babies had died in DCF care.

Did any of them pledge to find money in the state budget to address the decade-long cuts to DCFthat have resulted in outdated and inefficient technology; critical staff shortages of both caseworkers and skilled administrators; and offering enough compensation to attract an expert commissioner capable of a wholesale restructuring of the agency? Did Patrick?

At Tuesday’s press conference, Patrick did exactly what he accused his critics of doing: he made a “dramatic gesture” and appointed Erin Deveney as interim commissioner. Deveney worked as chief of staff for Everett’s mayor and then at the state Department of Transportation until a month ago, when she was appointed deputy commissioner of DCF. This is the best he could do?

Page 2 of 2 - In a state rich with the best and brightest minds, Patrick could have, should have, called for an executive from one of our universities, corporations or nonprofits to volunteer his or her skills in service to our state. Certainly if Brockton’s Ken Feinberg and other heads of corporations stepped up to donate their experience, time, office space and supplies to administer the One Fund in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, others would step up to care for the commonwealth’s children. At least until a new governor takes office in January.

Instead Patrick defaulted to a sacrificial pawn when he chose Deveney. What a stupendously lost opportunity by Patrick.

In vociferously defending Roche for too long, Patrick has failed the state’s children. In pointing his finger at Grafton police – the only agency to take any action in defense of 4-week-old Aliana Lavigne – Patrick tried and failed once again to deny accountability when all fingers rightly point at him and his administration. In appointing Deveney, Patrick has again chosen to keep his administrative heads comfortably within the political family, to the detriment of the commonwealth.

As citizens we bear responsibility as well. Responsibility to demand action over rhetoric. Wisdom over political expediency. And a government administered by competent and qualified managers.